Machine for degerm inati ng and scouring wheat



(No Model.)

W. E. SERGEANT.

- MACHINE FOR D-EGERMIN-ATING ANDSGOURINQWHEAT. No. 309.574

Patented Dec. 23

N. PETERS, Pholahlhugraphcr. wmin m. 11c.

ihvrrnio drarns Parent Orricn.

\VELLS ELY SERGEANT, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

MACHINE FOR DEGERMINATING AND SCOURING WHEAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 309,57 dated December23, 188%.

Application filed M arch 1, 1884.

To all whom, it may concern Be it known that 1, warns E. Snnenm'r, ofMinneapolis, I-Iennepin county, Minnesota, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Machines for Degerminating and Scouring W'heat,of which the following is a specification.

lVheat-kernels in their natural condition carry atone end what iscommonly known in the art as the germ, and at the opposite end a lightfuzzy portion, both of which must be removed before the reduction of thegrain, in order that they may be successfully separated therefrom. Thebody of the kernels is also enveloped in an external jacket, commonlyknown as the husk or bran, which must i be left as nearly as possible inits Ollgl]1llCOlldit-ion-that is to say, continuous and of full strengthand thickness up to the time of the first reduction, in order that itmay be loosened thereby in large pieces adapted for ready and successfulseparation.

It is the purpose of my machine to effectually remove thegerm and fuzzymatters with out reducing the thickness or strength of the bran andwithout fracturing either the bran or the outer portion of the berry. Tothis end it relates to a machine composed, essentially, of horizontaldisks revolving within a body provided with internal flanges whichoverlap the edges of the disks, the invention consisting in theconstruction and combination of the parts, hereinafter specified andclaimed in detail.

The machine may be'oonstrueted with a single shaft provided with disks,or with two or more such shafts, so arranged that the disks of one willenter between those of another.

Referring to the accom ianying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectionof my machine in its preferred form, with two shafts provided withdisks, the section being taken on the line a: or of Fig. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal section on the line 3 y of Fig. 1, the driving-pulleys andbelt being represented in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a verticalcross-section on the line .2 of Fig. 2. Fig. alis a horizontal sectionof the machine as constructed with a single shaft and series of disks.

A represents an upright rigid frame provided at its upper and lower endswith bearings to sustain two upright shafts, B and B. The hearings inwhich the lower ends of the (No model.)

shaft are stepped are adj ustible vertically in a bridgetree or support,D, and sustained by means of hand-screws E, commonly known in the art astempering screws, by means of which the bearings and shafts may beraised and lowered, as required. In place of the screws other equivalentmeans may be employed to adjust the shafts vertically.

On each of the shafts I secure at suitable distances apart a series ofhorizontal disks, F, each of which has its upper surface ribbed,toothed, or otherwise formed to cause an abrasive action on the ends ofthe grain. disk is provided on the under side \vitha number ofperipheral depending studs, a, preferably made of the sectional formrepresented by dotted lines in Fig. 2-that is to say, with their innervertical surfaces inclined from the edges toward the center of the disk.The shafts are separated a distance slightly greater than the diametersof the disks, which are so arranged that those of one shaft revolvebetween the edges of those on the oppositeshaft, asplainly represented.

Within the main frame I secure an upright perforated jacket or casing,G, which follows the outer edges or margins of the disks at a distanceordinarily of about three-fourths of an, inch therefrom. This jacketserves to retard the passage of the grain and to confine the samesubject to the action of the disks. Against the inner surface of theperforated jacket, I. secure a series of horizontal flanges or rings, H,the inner edges of which overhang the edges of the disks in the mannerrepresented in Figs. 1 and 2. These rings serve as scouring-surtaces toact upon the ends of the grain, and also as ameans of causing the grainto flow inward and outward in passing from one disk to the next. Aroundthe perforated jacket I arrange a closed body or jackct, I, leavingbetween the two a space of about one inch, more or less, into which theair is freely admitted through openingsJ at the lower end. This spaceisdesigned to receive dust and light impurities which may escape throughthe perforated jacket, and it communicates at the top, through asuitableopening,with a casing containing a suction-fan, K, applied to the upperend of the shaft 13, or otherwise suitably driven.

Grain is introduced into themachine through Each ties are carriedupward.

a feed-spout, L, at the top, as represented in Fig. 1, and is deliveredthrough a spout, M, extending downward from the interior, as representedin Fig. 3. The delivery-spout discharges into an air flue or duct, N,the lower end of which is open,while the upper end communicates with thefan case or chamber, as represented in Fig. 3. The upper end of thesuctionflue communicates at one side with a top of a hopper orreceptacle, 0, closed at the lower end by a gravitating valve, 1?. Theupper end of this hopper also communicates by an independent passage, Q,with the atmosphere, this passage being provided with a valve, It, bywhich it may be wholly or partially closed.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The parts being set inmotion, a strong draft is created upward through the space surroundingthe perforated jacket, and also through the duct with which thegrain-delivery spout connects, as well as through the passage Q from thetop of the hopper. The grain, being introduced at the top, encountersthe upper surfaces of the top flange and disk. It is carried outward bythe motion of the disk in all directions, and passes over the edge ofthe disk between its upper surface and the under surface of the flangeabove, and thence downward past the edge of the disk toward the flangeand disk neXt below. As the grain passes the periphery of the disk it isacted upon by the depending studs,which have the effect of throwing ittoward the center and of equalizing its distribution. Pursuing itsdownward course the grain travels alternately inward and outward, beingthrown inward by the upper surfaces of the flanges, and outward by theupper surfaces of the disks, so as to pass downward beneath the flanges.i

In the double machine, such as above described, the grain is subjectedto the action of the disks of the two shafts alternately. Reaching thefoot of the machine the grain escapes through the delivery-pipe into thepassage or duct,where it meets the ascending air-current, by which thefuzzy matters and light impuri- While it is preferred to construct thema chine with two shafts, as above described, it may be constructed, asshown in Fig. 4, with a single shaft provided with disks, in which casethe body or inclosing jacket is made of cylindrical form, and theinternal flanges adapted to encircle the shaft, as shown. In otherrespects the machine is identical in construction and mode of operationwith the first described.

I am aware that machines have been constructed in a great variety offorms with revolving disks and cones with flanges overhanging the disks.

It will be observed that the teeth or ribs are arranged on the disksinoblique or radial lines, or, in other words, their outer ends carriedforward. By this arrangement they are caused to assist in retarding thegrain until the cleaning action is fully completed.

I am aware that scouring-machines have been constructed in which diskswere revolved above annular flanges underlying their outer edges; also,that a shaft has been provided with a series of disks, one aboveanother, encircled by a body having annular flanges which projectedinward between the under surface of one disk and the upper surface ofthe next, and to such construction I lay no broad claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I-claim is 1. Inawheat-scouring machine, two vertical shafts, provided with overlappingscouringdisks, incombination with a surrounding case or jacket, and theinternal flanges,whereby the grain is caused to pass over the surfacesof all the disks in succession.

2. The combination of the two upright shafts, the scouringdisks mountedthereon, the encircling-jacketin the form of two cylindrical segments,and the segmental flanges attached to the inner surface of the jacketand overlapping the respective disks.

3. The two upright shafts'and their overlapping disks, in combinationwith the upright perforated jacket encircling the disks, as shown anddescribed, the close body encircling the jacket, and the fan arranged toproduceadraft outwardthrough the jacket from all sides, as shown.

4. In a wheat scouring machine, rotary scouring-disks having dependingperipheral studs, substantially .such as shown and described, incombination with an encirclingjacket, having flanges extended inwardover the edges of the disks, substantially as described and shown. I

5. In a machine-for removing the end portions of the wheat-berry, thecombination of a series of horizontal revolving disks, a perforatedjacket inclosing the same, flanges extending inward from the jacket andoverlapping the edges of the disks, an impervious body surrounding thejacket, a wheat-spout at the base, a hopper, O, at the top; an airpassage or conductor connecting saidhopper with the delivery-spout, andan exhaust-fan communicating with the hopper, the air-passage, and thespace around the perforated jacket, and arranged to produce an upwarddraft, as de scribed and shown.

'VVELLS ELY SERGEANT.

Witnesses:

O. H. BENTON, J. N. COOK.

